Fucking Åmål IRC channel

Discuss Lukas Moodysson's first feature film Fucking Åmål (Show me Love).

Moderator: Ian

Fucking Åmål IRC channel

Postby Kolya » Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:04 pm

You can find the FA IRC channel here:
irc://chat.serenia.net/FA
(a server close to you will be chosen which is best for fast connections)

You can also access the channel via the webchat form of fucking-amal.com here:
http://www.cameopictures.com/roel/chat.php

Or here:
http://www.serenia.net/chat/chat.php?ni ... ubmit=Chat
(As soon as you're logged on type: /join #FA)

So if anyone wants to talk about the movies of Lukas Moodysson or anything related drop in there now.
I don't know if we can gather a large crowd, but if maybe seven people come to like it, that would be great. :)

The current topic is: "CONTAINER" by Lukas Moodysson
Last edited by Kolya on Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:31 am, edited 3 times in total.
Kolya
Gold Member
 
Posts: 184
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 12:57 pm

Postby Kolya » Sun Mar 12, 2006 1:42 am

[12:57] -->| YOU (Kolya) have joined #FA
[12:57] =-= Topic for #FA is ``"CONTAINER" by Lukas Moodysson''
[12:57] Kolya: Hi there andreyvit!
[17:02] Andreyvit: hi!
[17:02] Andreyvit: i'm at the computer at last.
[17:24] Kolya: Oh hey
[17:24] Kolya: Sorry, didn't see you answered andreyvit.
[17:25] Kolya: So you came here via the fucking-amal.com forum I guess?
[17:26] Kolya: Have you been posting there?
[17:28] Kolya: Hello?
[17:28] Kolya: Oh it seems we're always missing each other ...
[17:29] Kolya: Anyway, you might read this lateron so I'll just ramble on. :)
[17:30] Kolya: So have you seen "Container" or the clips of it?
[17:30] Kolya: What do you think about it?
[17:30] Kolya: There seem to be pretty different opinions
[17:31] Kolya: Someone said that Moodysson took a wrong turn after Ilja 4ever
[17:31] Kolya: While others say Container's completely in line with FA, tillsammans, etc
[17:32] Kolya: I have seen only the clips by now
[17:33] Kolya: So I can't really say, but while Container definitely is very different
[17:33] Kolya: it obviously comes from the same mindset I think
[18:46] Kolya: Ah, I'm going to a concert now
[18:46] Kolya: So see you later hopefully
[19:06] Andreyvit: Yes, I did come from FA forum. I think the idea of having an IRC channel is extermely good.
[19:07] Andreyvit: On the other hand, I haven't seen any other films by Moodysson, so I cannot express my opinion in this area.
[19:08] Andreyvit: It's a pity there are too few people here. :)
[19:08] Andreyvit: No, I've never posted to the forums. In fact, I was going to express my opinion about your "FA five years later" script continuation, but still did not find time to do that.
[19:11] Andreyvit: The idea is that I like the idea of continuing the script but I think the characters are kinda misunderstood by script writers.
[19:11] Andreyvit: It's not a criticism, I think every script comes through excessive rework on the way to the final version.
[19:12] Andreyvit: So you've done a great job for sure.
[19:13] Andreyvit: Howver it would be much better if the story for the scripts was discussed on the forum before writing actual text.
[19:15] Andreyvit: Also I think the script should be derived from some general idea. The idea of the original film script is hopefully clear, but other scripts need other ideas.
[19:16] Andreyvit: Okay, this is all probably too much to say as a monologue, so I'll wait for your opinion.
[19:17] Andreyvit: BTW, do you speak Russian? (Kolya seems to be a russian name. If so, we could talk russian if we wanted to.)
[19:28] Kolya: I just came back from the shower and actually I should have gone already.
[19:28] Kolya: Anyway just a few short answers then
[19:29] Kolya: Why do you think the characters are misunderstood? What would you do differently?
[19:29] Kolya: I don't think we would ever get a working script if we discussed it on thge forums first.
[19:30] Kolya: That's just my opinion, maybe it would work.
[19:30] Kolya: But well actually I'm not writing a "script"
[19:30] Kolya: It's more of a short story
[19:31] Kolya: And generally I think that a good story needs to be written by one person.
[19:31] Kolya: Who holds everything together
[19:31] Kolya: I strongly agree with you
[19:31] Kolya: that the contnuation should be based on a general idea
[19:31] Kolya: like the movie was
[19:32] Kolya: I really hope the idea will become more obvious when I continue
[19:32] Kolya: After all you wouldn't know what FA was really about when you only saw the first half or third
[19:34] Kolya: Last thing:
[19:34] Kolya: I'm not russian
[19:35] Kolya: My mother loved the Karamasow Brothers
[19:35] Kolya: So that's where my name (Nicolai) comes from. :)
[19:35] Kolya: I'm sorry I don't speak russian.
[19:36] Kolya: Anyway, I'll go now
[19:36] Kolya: See you!
[19:36] =-= YOU are now known as Kolya|concert
[19:40] Andreyvit: hm, we're really always missing each other :)
[19:40] Andreyvit: well, the story (let's call it this way, I fully agree) has two problems:
[19:42] Andreyvit: 1) It seems too ordinary. Maybe that's a false impression, or maybe it was intended. However, while the film's story is outstanding, short (and "up to the point", if I understand this phrase correctly) and evolves fast,
[19:45] Andreyvit: the "5 years later" story seems too slow. The problem is not that there should be more events, no. The problem is that many things seem unnecessarily detailed.
[19:46] Andreyvit: The dialogue in the train could have been much shorter, while expressing the same. Dialogues between Agnes and Elin seem somewhat... emmm...
[19:47] Andreyvit: unnatural, maybe.
[19:47] Andreyvit: Imagine your story being filmed. All the described events would happen really fast.
[19:50] Andreyvit: Agnes/Elin, Elin/Lukas and Agnes/Helen dialogues definitely must be shorter. (I know, Agnes/Elin was written by Svensson.)
[19:52] Andreyvit: Okay, I have a hard time describing what's wrong with them. They just seem unnatural, and prabably that's because they are too long.
[19:53] Andreyvit: As one of my favourite modern writers said in a interview, "You always tend to write long. The primary tool of a writer is an eraser."
[19:53] Andreyvit: Yuo won't find long dialogues in the film, at least.
[19:54] Andreyvit: 2) The second problem is with Agnes and Elin.
[19:54] Andreyvit: Svensson could not find a good reason why they parted, so kept saying nonsense instead of the reason.
[19:55] Andreyvit: Surely you had to think of some good reason. But I cannot accept the one you've chosen.
[19:56] Andreyvit: First, Elin changes on the way to being with Agnes. When she tells her about her love, she (Elin) is completely different from what she has been before.
[19:56] Andreyvit: This is explained in a good, long analytic article "What it's all about". I think you've read it too, and I think you agree.
[19:57] Andreyvit: And, this is shown in the film.
[19:57] Andreyvit: So - Elin has changed. Of course, humans never change "forever and without any remainder".
[19:57] Andreyvit: So she might have wanted to go to a party.
[19:58] Andreyvit: Still, I don't think she would have much fun there, with everybody talking about Di Capreo (my god, how is that spelled? :) and so on.
[19:58] Andreyvit: I don't think she would get really drunk while being with Agnes (and without Agnes getting drunk too).
[20:00] Andreyvit: I don't think Agnes would leave her at the party alone, after all the changes Elin has undergone to be with her. (Agnes is a clever girl, so she would see and appreciate all those changes, and of course would be able to spend a whole party with Elin.)
[20:02] Andreyvit: Of course, the things you describe are still possible.
[20:02] Andreyvit: But then there is another problem: they are too ordinary.
[20:02] Andreyvit: One can make a story about ordinary people doing ordinary things. It can be a good story if it has a non-ordinary idea.
[20:03] Andreyvit: However your story does not seem intended to become such a thing. And, the original FA is not about ordinary people or things.
[20:05] Andreyvit: But hey, the reason of why they parted may be rethought and rewritten any time you like. Nothing is depending on it currently.
[20:07] Andreyvit: "Ordinarity" is a bigger problem. Do not make them say and do obvious things. I understand you're trying to reach realism, but that does not seem to be the correct way.
[20:09] Andreyvit: All right, that's quite enough critisism. :)
[20:10] Andreyvit: Many things are brilliant, like the thrown away telephone number on the ticket and the role Lukas is obviously going to play.
[20:11] Andreyvit: Everything can (and definitely must) be made shorted afterwards, but this is not a problem.
[20:12] Andreyvit: Of course, I agree that a story must be written by only one person. However there's nothing wrong in sharing your ideas and seeing others' ones.
[20:13] Andreyvit: You know, all these texts are not written to be just "read and forget" by film fans.
[20:13] Andreyvit: In fact, the initial reading does not mean much.
[20:14] Andreyvit: So there's no problem sharing your ideas on the future story.
[20:16] Andreyvit: And, finally, I cannot stand giving an example:
[20:16] Andreyvit: "No you're not a bad person. But you are careless. You need to understand that you're not just a tourist in this life. Your actions affect others, both good and bad. And that there's no-one else to blame for your decisions but you."
[20:16] Andreyvit: can really be shortened to something like:
[20:16] Andreyvit: "No you're not a bad person. But you are careless. Your actions affect others. And that there's no-one else to blame for your decisions but you."
[20:18] Andreyvit: However the whole point that she's careless is great.
[20:19] Andreyvit: In fact they both (Agnes and Elin) were careless at the film's time.
[20:21] Andreyvit: Just remember about there attemp to go to Stockholm, and also remember how easily Agnes deeply "injuried" Victoria on her failed bithday party (although she was very angry, still saying that is no good).
[20:22] Andreyvit: Note that carefullness (carelessness) can have both good and bad presentations.
[20:24] Andreyvit: For example, when Agnes and Elin walked out of school hand in hand, that was carelessness too, however a good one.
[20:26] Andreyvit: In fact, the original film is more about their differences, so maybe showing some common problem of both of them would be good. (Probably you've meant something else, but treat this as an idea.)
[20:28] Andreyvit: ...okay, quite enough for today :)
[22:36] Kolya|concert: Andreyvit, are you still there?
[22:37] =-= YOU are now known as Kolya
[22:37] Kolya: You know I read about half of what you wrote before I went
[22:37] Kolya: I missed half of the concert but that doesn't matter
[22:38] Kolya: The truth is, that you are right of course
[22:38] Kolya: About my continuation being too long winded
[22:38] Kolya: And even more about me writing about rather ordinary things
[22:39] Kolya: And even more about the fact, that
[22:40] Kolya: there obviously is no such great idea/lesson or whatever behind it
[22:41] Kolya: The truth is that your demands are much higher than mine were when I started writing
[22:41] Kolya: What you expect is a story that could stand on it's own
[22:42] Kolya: But this isn't what I was aiming at
[22:42] Kolya: I tried to do what Rebecka Liljeberg once said to have done when she was about ten years old
[22:43] Kolya: I tried to continue a film because I wouldn't want to let go of it so easily
[22:43] Kolya: That's the reason for most fanfiction I think
[22:43] Kolya: And that's what it is right now
[22:44] Kolya: A piece of fanfiction
[22:44] Kolya: Not a script that Lukas Moodysson could take and make FA2 from
[22:44] Kolya: I know this sounds very disappointing
[22:44] Kolya: It even does to me
[22:45] Kolya: But there are certain limitations on writing fanfiction that I have to adhere to I think
[22:46] Kolya: One of them is that you can't come up with a completely different story
[22:46] Kolya: People just wouldn't accept that.
[22:49] Kolya: There are other points to consider:
[22:50] Kolya: My strength in writing, if I know of any, is not delivering a short - to the point - story that has ONE underlying message/theme/idea
[22:51] Kolya: My strength is rather,
[22:51] Kolya: to describe people and their actions detailed
[22:52] Kolya: and in a realistic way, as you said it
[22:52] Kolya: And of course this may not be enough
[22:53] Kolya: If I could combine this with a single theme
[22:54] Kolya: With making a point as FA did
[22:54] Kolya: I might be a much better writer than I am now
[22:54] Kolya: I really would like to
[22:55] Kolya: I really hope all of this doesn't make you think that my continuation of the script is basically worthless
[22:55] Kolya: Because that's what I fear myself
[22:56] Kolya: As I said, right now, it's only fanfiction
[22:56] Kolya: It's something to remind you of memorable little things that you liked about the characters
[22:57] Kolya: And it's a mindgame of what could have happened afterwards
[22:57] Kolya: It's not trying to make a point of it's own right now
[22:59] Kolya: I know that this may be a severe lacking of substance
[22:59] Kolya: I'm not sutre what to do about it though
[22:59] Kolya: sure*
[23:00] Kolya: What I know is
[23:00] Kolya: that I will have to write this as good as I can
[23:00] Kolya: And I will try to make smaller points
[23:01] Kolya: like the carelessness of Elin that you mentioned
[23:01] Kolya: other things too
[23:02] Kolya: If things go well the story might be able to live from the liveliness of the characters that I describe and from these little points I make
[23:03] Kolya: As it looks now it won't have it's own new big them though
[23:05] Kolya: Even if I had such a thing to say, which I don't, I feel I should write a story that has nothing to do with Elin and Agnes then
[23:07] Andreyvit: Hmm. Okay, you maybe quite right that you should adhere to the style you're best at, rather than a style similar to the original script or smt.
[23:07] Andreyvit: I even think that you are abslutely right.
[23:07] Kolya: :)
[23:07] Kolya: Hey
[23:07] Kolya: You're here
[23:07] Kolya: We meet after all!
[23:08] Andreyvit: Regarding the fanfiction, I don't see a single reason for it not to be a worthless story on it's own, while still being a continuation of the original story with same characters having same qualities.
[23:08] Andreyvit: Yes, hi :)
[23:08] Andreyvit: oops
[23:08] Andreyvit: not to be a worthful
[23:09] Kolya: Yeah, but you know Moodysson created these characters for a purpose
[23:09] Andreyvit: yes, but they are lively characters.
[23:10] Andreyvit: like people, they can go through multiple lessons during their life.
[23:10] Kolya: It might easily feel like you made an effort to give another lesson by using them again
[23:10] Kolya: It could be of course
[23:10] Kolya: But what?
[23:11] Andreyvit: well, just a few thoughts:
[23:11] Andreyvit: the original story concentrates on them becoming together. this lacks a lot of well-known problems which can be stated as "staying together"
[23:12] Andreyvit: in fact, accoring to the continuation, they did not manage to stay together.
[23:13] Andreyvit: well, so, the original story is about a short-lived, highly motivated decision taken fast. (well, a sort of; I know this sounds like nonsense)
[23:13] Andreyvit: what is left behind is how to cope with such decisions in a long term
[23:14] Kolya: Unfortunately that's the boring part usually
[23:14] Kolya: That is never depicted in movies
[23:14] Kolya: possibly for a reason
[23:14] Andreyvit: Hmm. If you consider the whole life "the boring part", then it is.
[23:14] Kolya: Haha, no
[23:14] Andreyvit: And I do not agree; at least not in literature.
[23:15] Kolya: But what happens ater a happyend is not usually of interest to filmamkers
[23:15] Andreyvit: So, maybe what should be shown is that the whole life should not really be a boring part? :)
[23:15] Kolya: Okay, yeah
[23:15] Andreyvit: Well, that's a holywoodish approach.
[23:15] Kolya: True
[23:15] Andreyvit: Regarding a happy end.
[23:15] Andreyvit: Moodysson inserted the final O-boy scene just to escape tat.
[23:15] Andreyvit: \\ that
[23:16] Kolya: Yeah I know. Still a story needs problems
[23:16] Kolya: To continue
[23:16] Andreyvit: So, for Elin the life became boring again. Did it?
[23:16] Kolya: You can't write a story about two people staying together forever
[23:16] Andreyvit: According to the present script.
[23:16] Kolya: Yeah
[23:16] Andreyvit: And for Agnes?
[23:16] Kolya: Wait
[23:17] Kolya: Elin first
[23:17] Andreyvit: This is supposed to be a difficult question.
[23:17] Andreyvit: All right. Elin. I think the script is missing something on what she's been doing for these 5 years.
[23:17] Kolya: Okay, to me Elin wasn't a lesbian. She wanted to be different. And onbe of the things she tries is becoming a lesbian. It's a game for her.
[23:18] Andreyvit: Was it just her nightmare coming true?
[23:18] Andreyvit: Well... to me she's not lesbian, yes.
[23:18] Andreyvit: But, I do not agree that she just wanted to be different.
[23:18] Kolya: She admired Agnes because she felt that Agnes really was different
[23:18] Andreyvit: BTW, did you read that article, at http://people.freenet.de/what-its-all-about/?
[23:19] Kolya: Yeah sure
[23:19] Kolya: And the way Elin talks about lesbianism makes it pretty clear that she has no idea about it
[23:19] Andreyvit: Well, then: Elin did not only want to be different, or did not really want to be different. Better said she wanted to be free and to "find herself" (her identity, as it's called there).
[23:20] Andreyvit: She stayed with Agnes because Agnes was the only one who understood her and who could be her friend.
[23:20] Kolya: She said: "I want to be weird"
[23:20] Andreyvit: You know, all this friend/love stuff always tends to mess up.
[23:20] Andreyvit: Well, she also said she wants to rob a pensioneer.
[23:21] Kolya: Haha okay yeah
[23:21] Andreyvit: Yes, she wanted to be different.
[23:21] Andreyvit: But that... well, that's what she thought would have helped her.
[23:21] Andreyvit: But what she really needed was understanding and so forth.
[23:21] Kolya: Becoming a lesbian?
[23:21] Andreyvit: No, being different.
[23:21] Kolya: I see
[23:22] Kolya: But Johan tried to be understanding certainly
[23:22] Andreyvit: But he could not, probably.
[23:22] Kolya: What couldn't Johan understand
[23:22] Andreyvit: He's not smart enough.
[23:22] Kolya: No!
[23:22] Andreyvit: Elin is not educated, but she's kinda smart or at least original.
[23:23] Andreyvit: Do you like Johan?
[23:23] Kolya: Well yes
[23:23] Kolya: Johan is a sensible guy
[23:23] Kolya: He's not brave tho
[23:23] Andreyvit: Yes, he's sensible, and somewhat better than others.
[23:24] Andreyvit: Not only he's not brave, he also does not want to find his identity etc
[23:24] Kolya: He goes with the crowd because he couldn't stand being different
[23:24] Andreyvit: Well, probably that's the same thing I want to say, only in different terms.
[23:25] Kolya: Yeah
[23:25] Kolya: Anyway, if Elin just needed affection, Johan had plenty for her
[23:25] Andreyvit: And I agree that being surrounded by different pople he would be a much better guy.
[23:26] Andreyvit: No, she needed that someone ould understand her, primarily.
[23:26] Kolya: Understand what?
[23:26] Andreyvit: He couldn't - or maybe could, but didn't.
[23:27] Andreyvit: Understanding means some kind of comprehension of the person's nature.
[23:28] Kolya: Yeah but was it really that set Elin apart from the crowd except her will to be different?
[23:28] Andreyvit: Anyway, I do not accept that Elin *just* wants to be different, and that is all.
[23:28] Andreyvit: I mean, not any kind of difference would suit her.
[23:29] Andreyvit: So, the point is not in the difference itself;
[23:29] Kolya: Okay, I hope ther really is more to it. But what would you say it is?
[23:29] Andreyvit: Elin wants to behave, express feelings, say things in a way that does not suit her surrounders.
[23:30] Andreyvit: So, mostly she wants to be herself,
[23:30] Andreyvit: and "herself" is different from many people expect her to be.
[23:30] Andreyvit: \\ from what many ...
[23:31] Kolya: Okay, but that's what almost everbody wants to. Be regarded as a person of your own, be understood. That's nothing really special, is it?
[23:32] Kolya: Agnes on the contrary *is* special.
[23:33] Andreyvit: Yes, everybody wants it. But somehow people tend to forget about this wish. This has something to do with crowding.
[23:33] Kolya: Mmmh, you might have a point there.
[23:33] Andreyvit: I think every person is special on his own, until he is swallowed by a crowd.
[23:33] Andreyvit: So Elin and Agnes are just normal.
[23:34] Kolya: They do unusal things though.
[23:34] Andreyvit: Well... hm... really?
[23:34] Kolya: Well unusal for the crowd they live in
[23:35] Andreyvit: I've seen many people behaving originally, and tend to consider it absolutely normal.
[23:35] Andreyvit: Yes, of course.
[23:35] Kolya: Okay, I think we basically agree on Elin.
[23:35] Andreyvit: And that's the reason of misunderstanding.
[23:35] Andreyvit: Yes.
[23:35] Kolya: What about Agnes?
[23:35] Andreyvit: You mean is she a lesbian?
[23:36] Andreyvit: I think the film was indended to prove that she is.
[23:36] Kolya: I loved her the most when I first saw the film, she reminded me more of myself then Elin.
[23:37] Andreyvit: I can say that I do not understand "lesbianess". I do not know if it's fixed or if it can be changes.
[23:37] Andreyvit: Well... I can say that I can identity myself with both of them.
[23:37] Kolya: It's fixed just like heterosexuality
[23:37] Andreyvit: But many sources say that girls are generally bisexual.
[23:37] Kolya: Uoh
[23:38] Andreyvit: Okay, I do not know, so let's decide Agnes is lesbi.
[23:38] Kolya: People are generally bisexual then
[23:38] Kolya: Yeah, well the movie makes an effort to prove this
[23:38] Andreyvit: yes
[23:38] Kolya: via the masturbation scene
[23:39] Andreyvit: yes.
[23:39] Kolya: Anyway, Agnes is very vulnerable but also very strong
[23:39] Andreyvit: And does not have any friends
[23:39] Kolya: She's not angel
[23:39] Andreyvit: (just like Elin)
[23:40] Kolya: Well Elin has a lot of friends, just no real friends
[23:40] Andreyvit: Yes, she's not. Nobody is.
[23:40] Kolya: apart from her sis maybe
[23:40] Andreyvit: Well, friends will mean "real friends" from now on.
[23:40] Kolya: k
[23:40] Andreyvit: ?
[23:40] Kolya: Okay
[23:40] Kolya: But it's a different situation for her
[23:41] Kolya: They both may have no friends
[23:41] Kolya: But their situations are very different
[23:41] Andreyvit: Of course it's different; she's much much more isolated, and more lonely.
[23:41] Kolya: Agnes?
[23:41] Andreyvit: yes
[23:42] Andreyvit: probably.
[23:42] Kolya: Yeah, but seeing Elin at the party drinking she's almost the same. She's the loner in the crowd.
[23:42] Kolya: Okay, I think we got it that they both are lonely.
[23:42] Kolya: And have no friends
[23:43] Andreyvit: yeah: they do not have real friends, noone believes in them (but, note, Agnes has a good father)
[23:43] Kolya: ANd Elin has Jessica
[23:43] Andreyvit: Elin does not have a father at all, and that probably means something.
[23:43] Kolya: Why?
[23:43] Andreyvit: But it does not mean much here :)
[23:43] Kolya: Whyt do you think it means?
[23:43] Kolya: Okay
[23:43] Andreyvit: Moodysson's script had a separate idea on parent-children relations.
[23:44] Andreyvit: That's from tat scope.
[23:44] Andreyvit: So, what is different then?
[23:44] Kolya: Sorry, didn't get what you meant by your last statement.
[23:45] Kolya: "That's from tat scope."
[23:45] Andreyvit: Never mind. What's different between Elin and Agnes?
[23:45] Kolya: Well Elin is bored with her "friends" and with parties etc
[23:46] Andreyvit: And Agnes is bored with her life, too.
[23:46] Andreyvit: Okay, we're searching the wrong way.
[23:46] Kolya: Yeah, but she rules out even going to a party
[23:46] Andreyvit: The situations are in fact similar. They are different themselves.
[23:46] Andreyvit: Probably... The should be different.
[23:46] Andreyvit: \\ they
[23:47] Kolya: I'll be right back.
[23:48] Andreyvit: This is a difficult question in fact. Every two people are similar in many ways, much more than they'd expect. For any two people it might always seem that they are very-very similar from the first glance.
[23:48] Andreyvit: The differences appear after they are in touch for some time.
[23:48] Andreyvit: I don't think the film is a right place to search for them, as it shows a short period of time.
[23:50] Andreyvit: Elin and Agnes are in similar situations of alienation (which is physical for Agnes and only mental for Elin).
[23:50] Kolya: Well they come from very different backgrounds. Elin has no father, lots of false friends, she's popular, she's not a lesbian
[23:50] Kolya: But yeah exactly
[23:50] Andreyvit: There's no surprise they become quite similar themselves.
[23:51] Kolya: The alineation is the common theme
[23:51] Andreyvit: People tend to become similar when they are in similar situations.
[23:51] Andreyvit: However it does not hide people's nature, which is usually different.
[23:51] Andreyvit: Or, better said, it hides, but just for some time.
[23:51] Andreyvit: So, when they became together, Elin and Agnes were really similar.
[23:52] Andreyvit: After some time, there appeared many differences, which is again no surprise.
[23:52] Andreyvit: Many differences come from background, and some come from somewhere else (maybe), but that does not matter.
[23:53] Kolya: But that's exactly what I thought of when I said that Elin cheated with Johan.
[23:53] Andreyvit: Still, they must have had a great time together.
[23:53] Kolya: They were similar for some time
[23:53] Andreyvit: Okay, now I think it was possible.
[23:53] Kolya: and then old habits broke out again
[23:53] Andreyvit: Well...
[23:54] Andreyvit: I wouldn't say "habits". Habits are not that stable, they must have changed.
[23:54] Andreyvit: But Elin might become uncertain about her secuality kind.
[23:54] Kolya: Okay, call it nature. elin is a partygoer
[23:54] Andreyvit: \\ sexuality
[23:54] Andreyvit: Even my dictionary did not help with that.
[23:55] Kolya: Whereas Agnes is by nature a shy type
[23:55] Andreyvit: oh
[23:55] Andreyvit: partygoer = party goer :)
[23:55] Kolya: Yeah :)
[23:56] Kolya: I'm not a partygoer myself
[23:56] Kolya: No wonder I identify with Agnes
[23:56] Andreyvit: Well, not sure about that (partygoingness and shyness might be a result of their forced lifestyle, and can change over time - though it's hard to change)
[23:57] Kolya: I don't think these kind of things really change - buta that's just from experience
[23:57] Andreyvit: I'm not, too. I was really shy until about 15, and then I moved to another school, where I became quite different and was a leader.
[23:57] Kolya: Different experiece for you then
[23:57] Andreyvit: However I still never went to any parties, I just don't like that dumb music.
[23:58] Andreyvit: So, I can say people change. Or maybe not; I was forced to be shy by the crowed, and was lucky to escape it then.
[23:58] Andreyvit: So I don't really know who Agnes is.
[23:59] Andreyvit: She can show a finger to the girls in a school canteen.
[23:59] Andreyvit: So she's at least not too shy.
[00:00] Kolya: Yeah but then she can't take it and tries to kill herself
[00:00] Andreyvit: Maybe she's lost a hope, or something like that.
[00:00] Andreyvit: One can't live that way forever.
[00:00] Kolya: Definitely because of Elin's forced kiss
[00:01] Kolya: She could take it from the stupid girls in the cantina
[00:01] Kolya: but not from Elin
[00:01] Kolya: That's when she loses all hope
[00:01] Andreyvit: well, yeah
[00:02] Kolya: That's something I wonder about a lot.
[00:02] Kolya: She didn't really know Elin.
[00:02] Andreyvit: and?
[00:02] Kolya: Before they meton her birthday.
[00:02] Kolya: And still she has such a high opinion of her.
[00:03] Kolya: That she wants to kill herself when Elin disappoints her
[00:03] Andreyvit: But she loved her, and she saw her being different from the others.
[00:03] Andreyvit: So she could have a high opinion.
[00:03] Kolya: She loved her, yeah. I think that's the best explanation.
[00:04] Andreyvit: Btw, the interesting point is how did it start.
[00:04] Kolya: Wait a monet
[00:04] Andreyvit: I have no ideas.
[00:04] Kolya: moment*
[00:05] Kolya: Why did Agnes fall in love with Elin? Just because she thought Elin was different from the others? How could she know?
[00:05] Andreyvit: I'm talking about exactly that.
[00:05] Andreyvit: They were in different classes.
[00:05] Kolya: Yeah, Elin was one class below her
[00:05] Andreyvit: Probably it was some accident that she has noticed Elin.
[00:06] Kolya: Or maybe ...
[00:06] Andreyvit: And then started to watch her....
[00:06] Kolya: it was just that Elin looks mighty fine
[00:06] Andreyvit: Or, it maybe just very simple: Elin was the best of all other girls in the school, both in appearance and in behaviour.
[00:07] Kolya: Yeah, I think that's it
[00:07] Andreyvit: Maybe Agnes would never love her if they we "in Stockholm" (in a better place with many more original people)
[00:07] Andreyvit: So, now. I think it's quite natural that Elin started to doubt that she's a lesbian.
[00:07] Kolya: Ha!
[00:07] Andreyvit: Probably that was a point they've discussed several times before they parted.
[00:08] Kolya: That's an interesting point!
[00:08] Kolya: "Agnes would never love her if they we "in Stockholm" (in a better place with many more original people)"
[00:08] Andreyvit: Maybe that very day it took another round.
[00:08] Kolya: Thanks for that!
[00:09] Kolya: Because that is exactly what happens when they meet in Stockholm
[00:09] Andreyvit: Well, that's an interesting point. Still, it not all the truth.
[00:09] Kolya: Elin is no special school queen anymore
[00:09] Andreyvit: She would not have noticed her probably.
[00:09] Andreyvit: BUT
[00:10] Andreyvit: She's already noticed her. And that's a big difference, between falling in love with someone unknown and with someone known.
[00:10] Kolya: Yeah that's true. But Agnes will surely notice the change when they meet in Stockholm.
[00:11] Andreyvit: what change?
[00:11] Kolya: While Elin used to be the only interesting/beautiful person in Amal ...
[00:12] Kolya: she's not in Stockholm anymore
[00:12] Andreyvit: oh, yes, surely.
[00:12] Andreyvit: So, it was easy to choose in Amal, but not in Stockholm.
[00:12] Kolya: And that's why Elin will have to fight for Agnes now.
[00:12] Andreyvit: In fact, first she did not even thought about choosing anything.
[00:13] Kolya: She just got what she wanted?
[00:14] Andreyvit: But then, well, you've hinted (many times, so that even complete idiots should notice at last) that Agnes felt something unexpected.
[00:14] Andreyvit: Well, again, probably she did not have all she wanted, but did not notice that either.
[00:14] Andreyvit: Maybe she did not notice until that day.
[00:15] Andreyvit: Maybe she never tried comparing Helen and Elin before, and started doing that after.
[00:15] Kolya: I hinted at what? Oh I think you mean Stevensson, not me.
[00:15] Kolya: And who's Helen?
[00:15] Andreyvit: Emm... all right, sorry.
[00:15] Kolya: You mean Hanna?
[00:15] Andreyvit: Khm. Yes, Hanna :)
[00:16] Kolya: NP :)
[00:16] Andreyvit: It's just 5 AM here :)
[00:16] Kolya: quarter past midnight here
[00:16] Andreyvit: you're lucky.
[00:16] Andreyvit: So, Agnes'es feelings are probably clear at the moment.
[00:17] Andreyvit: Elin is clear too: she wants Agnes back, and is going to fight.
[00:17] Kolya: They are? I don't think so.
[00:17] Kolya: About Agnes
[00:17] Andreyvit: (Elin:) Even if she thinks she's uncertain, in fact she is certain.
[00:18] Kolya: Agnes is very unsure I think
[00:18] Andreyvit: Agnes: she started to think about Elin, and that started to surprise her, because she never expected herself to stop loving Hanna.
[00:19] Kolya: Wait a moment!
[00:19] Andreyvit: She's not unsure yet:
[00:19] Kolya: She didn't stop loving Hanna!
[00:19] Andreyvit: she still is not going to leave Hanna, and se's pretty sure.
[00:19] Andreyvit: Yes, again we agree.
[00:19] Kolya: :)
[00:20] Kolya: The thing is that she loves Hanna but she finds she has feelings for Elin still.
[00:20] Andreyvit: Hanna's feelings are not clear for me. She might just be worried, or she might hire a killer for Elin - that's equally possible. (Well, not equally, but still.)
[00:21] Kolya: That will become more clear
[00:21] Andreyvit: Yeah, sure.
[00:21] Kolya: I have plans for this
[00:21] Kolya: for Hanna I mean
[00:21] Andreyvit: The most interesting is what this all is going to express.
[00:21] Andreyvit: I mean, again, the idea.
[00:22] Andreyvit: Better say this way:
[00:22] Andreyvit: you're going to make the story go it's natural way. However understanding what way is natural includes understanding some idea, or lesson they must carry out.
[00:23] Andreyvit: You've got an idea for Elin, yes?
[00:23] Kolya: Okay yeah, I understand that.
[00:23] Kolya: Yes I have
[00:23] Kolya: She runs into prolems
[00:23] Andreyvit: About the fact she's careless. Though I don't yet understand how that's going to influence her.
[00:24] Andreyvit: what problems?
[00:24] Kolya: Not anymore
[00:24] Kolya: Ah I don't want to talk about that actually. It's not worked out yet
[00:25] Kolya: Just an idea
[00:25] Andreyvit: But you should know the kind of problems, I mean, is that some everyday troubles or not?
[00:26] Kolya: Okay, well yes it's something that can happen to everyone I guess. She makes the best of it though.
[00:26] Kolya: Anyway, about the lesson that's carried out
[00:27] Kolya: As I said, there will be no big lesson like in FA
[00:27] Kolya: Some smaller ones
[00:27] Andreyvit: well, you probably misunderstand a "big lesson" concept
[00:27] Andreyvit: in FA everything was short-timed, I mean, the whole story took just a few days.
[00:28] Kolya: Yeah FA had a single purpose
[00:28] Kolya: The continuation won't as far as I'm concerned
[00:29] Andreyvit: I mean that "many smaller lessons" form a bigger one, like "how to make your life happy" or smt
[00:29] Andreyvit: yes, it would be a mistake to make a short-timed continuations. "FA 5 years later" should depict much longer period of time.
[00:30] Andreyvit: even because it mensions 5 years in it's title, it can't just tell about 3 days.
[00:30] Kolya: Yeah I also think so.
[00:31] Kolya: The bigger meaning if you want one will be what Moodysson quoted from Morrissey at the beginning of his script
[00:31] Andreyvit: And, you can't be learning something so short and clear like in FA during all those monthes
[00:31] Andreyvit: hm, what was it?
[00:31] Kolya: It's so easy to laugh
it's so easy to hate
it takes guts to be gentle and kind
Morrissey
[00:32] Andreyvit: okay, just fine!
[00:32] Kolya: :)
[00:32] Kolya: Would you mind if I released this log on fucking-amal.com forums?
[00:32] Andreyvit: Of course not.
[00:33] Kolya: Cool, thanks.
[00:33] Kolya: Hopefully we can meet again here.
[00:33] Kolya: Right now I want to go to bed.
[00:33] Andreyvit: I just think it needs some compression or smt. Who would read such a long thing?..
[00:33] Kolya: Everybody! :)
[00:33] Andreyvit: Oh, yes, I want to finish my work and have some sleep too :)
[00:33] Andreyvit: So, see you then! :)
[00:33] Kolya: Okay, good night Andreyvit!
[00:34] [INFO] Disconnecting from IRC. Click close again to exit now.
[00:34] [QUIT] Disconnected from irc://mercury.serenia.net/ (irc://mercury.serenia.net/).
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Postby sydney » Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:10 pm

I have updated the forum. From now on members or guests can go to the chat via the applet on the forum. Just click the Chat room button in the header...
sydney
 

Postby kant1781 » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:50 am

Andreyvit/Kolya wrote:Who would read such a long thing?..


Well, jävla me of course! From first word to last! 8)
Guys, I’m impressed. Kolya, thanks for putting this up. And Andreyvit, if you read this, shame on you that you hid yourself until to date! I wish I’d have conversations on FÅ with people of your dialectical powers! Count on me to participate in discussions like these in the forum anytime (not in the IRC though, that doesn’t fit my working schedule, unfortunately).

I’ll add my two or three thoughts on your discussion:

I’d side with Kolya that it is really not the question whether his texts are or should be suited for being turned into a film script. What he’s doing is finding a story, and telling it. (By the way, this applies to Peter’s script too: It really never was anything like a film script – more than a third of it consists of internal monologue, something that is hard to film, unless you're George Lucas and don’t care anyway :mrgreen: ). So continuing in the style of a series of short stories seems just the right approach to my mind. I’m thrilled to hear that Kolya does in fact have ideas for further developments and can’t wait to read them.

On the other hand, I agree with Andreyvit concerning the „general idea“ of the sequel. What I say now is not meant to intermingle with Kolya’s plans, it’s just a contribution to a general discussion between friendly admirers on how any sequel could be made:
It’s of course true that Peter Svensson was smart enough to leave the task of coming up with a story about „what happened on that day when Elin hurt Agnes very badly“ to his successors. And it is a crucial task. It involves thinking about what could have happened in Åmål since that first sip of O’boy. I think Andreyvit is right to stress how much thinking and imagining this involves. We can’t tell a new story about Agnes and Elin if we treat them like the two girls they were in the beginning of the film. First, even when the film ends, they have fundamentally changed, especially Elin. It’s true that when she approaches Agnes for the first time, she’s primarily looking for some way to be different, cool, exciting. When she approaches her for the second time, she’s not any more. (This is the point that I will never stop hammering home till the day I die, as Andreyvit was kind enough to notice :wink: ). But then, secondly, we’d have to think about how the two of them would have changed after being together for one year (which is a fucking long time when you’re 14/16) in a probably quite hostile environment. How would that have changed Agnes’s and Elin’s ways to think, talk, look, dress, spend their time, and with whom? I agree with Andreyvit that these changes are underestimated. They must be enormous. Which is why I also find the idea that some one night stand with Johan should be the reason for their splitting up unconvincing (I made the point in my first comment on Kolya). But I’ll leave that for now: Because now, thirdly, still another four years have passed! What were two young girls now must be considered grown women, and they have acquired nothing less than new lives of their own. This is quite clear in the case of Agnes. Surely she has got a life in Stockholm apart from cooking Lasagne with Hanna (Peter had some things to say about this – the motorcycle sequence is, to my mind, one of his best ideas, as it gives an idea of how Agnes appears like some new kind of person to Elin). But I agree with Andreyvit that there is until now no visible idea of how Elin has spent these five years. Would she, after all she must have been through because of her love for Agnes, would she just return to her former way of life? Grab the next not too intelligent ice hockey-playing guy, forget about psychology and apply for the hairdresser’s course, staying in fucking jävla-kuk Åmål (or Karlstad), getting drunk on weekends? Would there, could there even be such a way back for her? The one thing she always knew was that she was looking for more to life than this. Agnes taught her that believing in that dream pays. She can’t have forgotten that. It’s not necessary to imagine that Elin, after her year with Agnes, would be reading Södergran and listening to classical music, but all the potential she showed in FÅ should not go wasted. (Granted, this complaint should go to Peter Svensson. And maybe Kolya has something to tell about this which until now he just hasn’t revealed: For example, the songs connected with Elin (the one that gets explicitly mentioned and those that are being alluded to 8) ) are definitely not the kind of music she’d have been listening to in the film. If her musical taste has changed that much, why hasn’t the rest?) Anyway, the Johan episode sits ill with this.
All this is important because from here we should think about how the story could continue. What would Agnes’s reaction be? I must say that the end of Peter’s script has always struck me as being extremely weak (which didn’t matter because it broke off there). I fear the the simple idea that Agnes „discovers that she still has feelings for Elin“ is just such a tired cliché as Elin’s one-night-stand with Johan. Have you ever met a person you were together with after four years in which you have had no contact whatsoever and your entire life has been completely turned around? Believe me, no matter how larger than life that love was, these feelings do not just return after some hours sitting around a kitchen table. This is bad Hollywood. Generally, it is a mistake to think that feelings are something that sits hidden inside you, waiting to be found or discovered. Feelings are made and shaped by your real-life actions and interactions with people. So if we want to restart a story about Agnes and Elin, we should have to start from scratch. There must be a reason for Agnes wishing to get to know Elin again. Because they will have to get to know each other again literally. Their old feelings for each other cannot just „turn up again“, because they are not the ones that they used to be. The old feelings don’t fit them anymore, just like old clothes. Their feelings must be rebuilt, redeveloped, slowly, carefully. This is what the story should be about. I liked your exchange at the end as it points to the same direction: Elin will have to fight for Agnes now (and would she? and why?), and it’s all Stockholm (and Hanna, and maybe even Agnes herself) she’s going to have to fight against.

Right, I’ll stop here :Z . I do have something to say about your discussion on why Agnes falls in love with Elin originally and vice versa, but I’ll postpone that to another occasion....
:W
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Postby Kolya » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:09 am

This might be a philosophical question but I don't think people change that much if there is no pressure to change.

Certainly Elin (and Agnes) changed during the time the movie depicts. But this was just one weekeend and it would have been very hard to hold up forever. What I tried to imply here was that after a year it broke. So there is a development over that year. Just not the one we would have liked to see.
It's not too unlikely for two teens to break up after a year, even if they had less problems to overcome than Elin and Agnes.
And it didn't strike me as particularly hollwoodish for Elin to have a one night stand, because things like this happen all the time, not just in Hollywood.

Rewriting this isn't really a big deal, as Andrey said, nothing depends on it. It's just not a primary goal - as you see Agnes has very different reasons to give about their breakup. And I think that's really good, as it shows what they think about their breakup quite well.

I agree that Elin needs somewhat more background regarding the four years that have passed. But we disagree that Elin couldn't have fallen into the trap of a boring life near Åmål, just because she feared that beforehand. Or because Agnes changed her so much.
A lot of people fear to become like their parents - and they still do. And while Agnes had good reasons to be ambitious and intellectual and get somewhere else, Elin actually didn't. Her life may have been boring before she met Agnes but it wasn't hell as for Agnes. To fall back into the pleasant state of lamenting and doing nothing against is an option for her.
Something I worried about a little is that she actually has no good reason to suddenly miss Agnes this much after 4 years. (Even if her boyfriend and life bore her.)
I'm not too sure if I can come up with a solution for this, as these events were described in Svensson's script already. I tried to hint at a possible reason by using those lines from the Violent Femmes song: She regrets what has happened because it didn't turn out too well for her. Elin pities herself a little. ("I could have been a star")
Svensson pointed at something similar by saying that Elin never made it far from Åmål. And that doesn't seem unlikely either. As wise papa Olof say: The people who were the most popular when he was at school, turned out not so special after a while. They didn't have the ambition to change dramatically. No pressure.

Then again we aren't talking about "FA - 25years later" here. :wink:
So Elin can get another chance. Perhaps not with Agnes but certainly with herself.

Oh and btw: There are quite a lot of influences by music and other things I like in this story. I have a little black book where I write down phrases I hear that have some emotional impact on me. So sometimes you might hear a book you know, another movie, a song or my sister, girlfriend or mum speaking. (I will usually paraphrase it.)
If you recognise something - cool! But it's not meant to be read as a treasure hunt. Just wanting this to be clear. I use these elements to describe something new, not to point at something existing. Unless when noted otherwise.
So regarding Elin and her good taste in music: It's possible she got some ideas from Agnes. But we don't even know what her taste was from the start, so it's not that clear.

I also agree that Elin and Agnes need to find new common ground if they should fall in love again. Selfpity and hurt feelings are not enough to build upon. Though Agnes isn't even hurt that much (anymore). Far worse, she has moved on and left Åmål and Elin behind.
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Postby kant1781 » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:28 pm

Thanks for making things clearer Kolya. I see your point and I don't think we disagree that much. (Let me add once again that it's great having you here and having these discussions! :D ) Just one more try to make myself clear:

Kolya wrote: Certainly Elin (and Agnes) changed during the time the movie depicts. But this was just one weekeend and it would have been very hard to hold up forever. What I tried to imply here was that after a year it broke. So there is a development over that year. Just not the one we would have liked to see. It's not too unlikely for two teens to break up after a year, even if they had less problems to overcome than Elin and Agnes.


Yes of course. Noone would think that you'd stay together forever with the person you fall in love with at 14. Of course it would break up sometime. But if there really was a one-year-relationship (which, again, is like eternity when you're 14, when most relationships are measured by the week, not by the month) there must have been some kind of development of the persons involved, for better or worse. It seems that we agree on that. But now your point is this:

I don't think people change that much if there is no pressure to change. (...) As wise papa Olof say: The people who were the most popular when he was at school, turned out not so special after a while. They didn't have the ambition to change dramatically. No pressure.


This is where we do disagree. Again, I'm not trying to force anything on you, I just present my ideas. But to me it seems obvious that if Agnes and Elin really stayed together for one year in Åmål, then there must have been more than enough pressure on them to go for some pretty dramatic changes. Or, if they had not changed, I'd say, their relationship quite simply wouldn't have survived for one year, and not even for one single week. You say:

And while Agnes had good reasons to be ambitious and intellectual and get somewhere else, Elin actually didn't. Her life may have been boring before she met Agnes but it wasn't hell as for Agnes.


True, but the thing you seem to miss (as I see it) is that a considerbale part of life may have been hell for Elin after she met Agnes. Or, to put if differently: If she loved her and stayed with her for so long, she would have come to share her hell. Agnes's hell would have been Elin's hell. I mean, half of Fucking Åmål is about how fucking scared Elin is to commit to her love for Agnes, and of course she is bloody well right to be scared! Your idea is that in the end, Elin, now considered "lesbian", turned out to be even more popular with her friends than before, while Agnes stayed an outsider. This is a very interesting idea, and it is a possible option, but I think it goes without saying that a lot of quite unexpected things would have had to happen in order for the story to continue that way. (This is certainly not what we would naturally expect from characters like Camilla, Bengtsson, Markus and Jessica). There would have been a lot of heavy fighting involved. And it also goes without saying how much pressure that would have meant for the girls' relationship in turn. I really can't imagine a situation in which there could have been more pressure, and so reason to change, on anybody.

I think this is all I want to point out. If they survived a whole year together, then it seems wildly implausible to me that it should not have left major changes on Elin's personality. (Not impossible, granted. Just implausible.)

I do not disagree at all with the following:

But we disagree that Elin couldn't have fallen into the trap of a boring life near Åmål, just because she feared that beforehand. Or because Agnes changed her so much. A lot of people fear to become like their parents - and they still do. (...) To fall back into the pleasant state of lamenting and doing nothing against is an option for her.


This is absolutely true and I didn't mean to oppose it. If I said so, I take it back. I even think that this makes perfect sense together with what I've just been urging: If Elin acquired a feeling of what life could have been for her and who she could have been during her time with Agnes, but then screwed it up and fell back into a state of mind she seemed to have escaped, then it gets plausible why she would pity herself when she thinks of her present situation, and why the sudden memory of Agnes (no matter how this is brought about) might make her want to change her life again, for a second time. And then it gets plausible why she would get the idea that she must find Agnes again in order to make that change again, because it was with her when it happened the first time. Maybe this could calm your worries that

she actually has no good reason to suddenly miss Agnes this much after 4 years. (Even if her boyfriend and life bore her.)


And maybe what she has to learn is just that this time she can't rely on Agnes but has to manage it alone before she can be rewarded.

Last point:

And it didn't strike me as particularly hollwoodish for Elin to have a one night stand


I didn't say that! I said that it's hollywoodish to think that one can restart a love story just by saying that after four years Agnes discovers that she "still has feelings". It seems that we agree on this, and I leveled that complaint against Peter, not against you. Even the one night stand is alright if it's placed into the right context. And if that context is alright, I suppose that the one night stand would not be counted as "the reason" any more, but just the "last drop", the indicator for what had really been going on under the surface. I have the impression that you see it this way too, and there's no quarrel.

Really looking forward to your next chapters!
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Postby Kolya » Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:37 pm

I don't have much time for a long answer, so here's a short one.
I appreciate the discussion. I enjoy seeing differing views on the girls relationship. It helps me a lot.

That being said we're discussing things atm that I hadn't no opportunity to really explain within the story yet. Right now we have two small statements that either of them give to people that weren't involved during the time. (Lukas, Hanna) We know that Elin cheated, but she doesn't really give an answer why. So actually we just get that one last straw that breaks the camel's back. Nothing about what led to it.
And we learn that Agnes perception was different to that, perhaps a bit more complex. Or maybe she just didn't want to talk about this with Hanna.
Anyway the subject isn't finished with this.
What really happened in that year would have to be elaborated on when the girls themselves talk about the time with one another.
They missed their first chance to talk about it which isn't too surprising considering the circumstances. I'm sure we will see them discussing the matter again sometime.

One last note: I haven't written a single line of the upcoming chapter yet. That is if you don't count the discussions we have. I feel I need to make up my mind about quite a lot of things before continuing and that's where the discussions help me becoming sure of the character's natures and motifs.
Then there are still other things to think about, like other characters and what will actually happen and in what order. I have ideas for all of this. But it will take some time.
In the meantime these discussions serve another good purpose: They show me that there is interest in the story and keep me motivated.
Thanks to all of you.
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Postby andreyvit » Fri Mar 17, 2006 10:50 pm

Hi, everybody. In fact, I must say that I hate forums (their editors suck, they cannot be controlled well via email, etc), and that's the reason I've never appeared on this one either. But I guess I will make an exception for this very forum. :)

First, kant1781, I wish I could express my opinions with such a language! Unfortunately my English is no good (but it also means that when chatting here I'm not simply chatting but improving my language skills too, which is a Good Thing).

kant1781 wrote:I fear the the simple idea that Agnes „discovers that she still has feelings for Elin“ is just such a tired cliche as Elin’s one-night-stand with Johan.


I think that you're mixing two different terms (or processes). First, Agnes does discover that she still has feelings for Elin: she thought that she's completely forgotten Elin, and now she finds out that she still cares about her. (Cares = feels interested in her, recognizes her as someone special.) That's absolutely logical, and is generally the thing one feels when he/she meets an old friend (the person you've spent a year with will definitely be special).

Also, when one drops his feelings too fast and forcingly, they tend to return. (Of course, it may also be possible that the feelings were dying for quite a long time and finally died, but then there would be no point to write a continuation, so we exclude this case here.)

On the otherhand, developing a new love is much more than this. Agnes has grown older (though not too old!) and has a stable life, so she does not want to change anything. The question for her is not simply "who's better — Elin or Hanna" — but rather "does it worth to give up Hanna and my current lifestyle?". (I mean, this is a question we're evaluating when we're trying to figure out what and why she'd choose, and whether she would start choosing at all.)

The most likely reason for her to finally drop Hanna is that they're already having some problems. People seldom have no problems with their relations, especially at this age, so the problems' existence is quite natural.

BTW, it is possible that the problems are caused by Elin's visit. A growing misunderstanding may arise between Agnes and Hanna (this is partially depicted, when Agnes does not tell Hanna anything her new feelings).

And, we all really want Agnes and Elin to be together, but I feel this is not a necessary point. A good story is worth more than a good ending, though if they manage to stay together, that would be super good.

Kolya wrote:Something I worried about a little is that she actually has no good reason to suddenly miss Agnes this much after 4 years.


No, there's not much to worry about. She probably wanted to do this for some time (a year or two), and finally she found an occasion. (I don't mean "wittingly"; she wanted it, and some day realized she will do it.)

kant1781 wrote:if Agnes and Elin really stayed together for one year in Åmål, then there must have been more than enough pressure on them to go for some pretty dramatic changes. Or, if they had not changed, I'd say, their relationship quite simply wouldn't have survived for one year, and not even for one single week.


I agree, absolutely.

So, to summarize what we've been talking about:

1. One year is a very long time. The girls must have changed much.

2. This year was not trouble-free at all. Elin had to face a lot of pressure at school, at least in the beginning. If she coped with it, she managed to changed a bit of surrounding Amal for good. She must be strong enough to do that.

3. There also must have been some problems between Elin and Agnes, so the final reason was "the last drop", as kant suggested. However these problems were not big enough to render any continuation meaningless. (Maybe they were too young, and must have learned to cope with the previously offending things after the 5 years.)

4. Elin spend the remaining 4 years in Amal, and this was something like giving up. (My opinion:) she should have done this because Agnes left her — maybe that meant so much that she lost all her enthusiasm and just let the things go themselves.

That's it, correct me if I'm wrong though I'm not. :)

And, being a software architect, I'm used to plan and discuss things before they gain importance and become unchangable. So I was surprised to see someone writing a story text (lots of work, high price of changing) without having decided about how the story is going to develop. (I don't mean anything. Just a note.)

Anyway, Moodysson said that they've talked a lot about characters, much more than was shown in the film. They had an idea on where is Elin's father gone just to film a small scene. I believe that's the quality level we should target. (Or, well, Kolya should target, with us all trying to help him.)
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Postby andreyvit » Fri Mar 17, 2006 11:17 pm

BTW. FA was the first film I liked that I did not want a continuation for. That was one of the first thoughts after the film: no matter what would happen afterwards, the story is positive and kind by itself. That is, I did not have to imagine a "happy future" to enjoy the ending. In fact, I assumed the girls will fall apart after some time, and this seemed very natural.

So it's curious that now I find myself imagining and discussing the continuation. However this is still different from other films: the girls are almost real, and the discussion is something about the "life, the universe and everything".
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Postby Kolya » Sat Mar 18, 2006 2:14 am

Not much to say. I agree with most statements.
One thing: Elin didn't spend the 4 years in Åmål but in Karlstad.
About planning ahead: Well I have an ending in mind but I'm not fixated on this, I try to keep an open mind. The story might develop differently for several reasons, not least the ideas presented here. In fact it already has.
Then again writing isn't like programming. This might sound terrible, and I fear (I really do.) I can never live up to what I'm saying now, but I think a story will have to have a continous flow/feel - whatever you might call it. And that's nothing you can achieve by careful planning. I have some ideas but I like to sit and watch the characters improvise on this.
Jeez, this sounds so pretentious. :roll:
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Postby kant1781 » Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:25 pm

Andreyvit wrote:I must say that I hate forums .... But I guess I will make an exception for this very forum. :)


Much appreciated! We’re honoured! :wink: _O_

I think that you're mixing two different terms (or processes). First, Agnes does discover that she still has feelings for Elin: she thought that she's completely forgotten Elin, and now she finds out that she still cares about her. (Cares = feels interested in her, recognizes her as someone special.) That's absolutely logical, and is generally the thing one feels when he/she meets an old friend (the person you've spent a year with will definitely be special).


Okay. If this is all that is implied, I agree. Surely Elin’s visit would somehow stir up Agnes’s feelings, it would not leave her untouched. She would notice how much it upset her, and she would start to ask herself: What’s this feeling I have? It is certainly evident (even necessary) that she should have a feeling of some kind.
All I wanted to say is this:
(1) It would be too easy (and indeed clichéd) to say that this feeling is just „her old feeling for Elin“ that returns (because, as I said, feelings are part of your personality, and if your personality changes, your old feelings no longer fit you).
(2) The nature of this new feeling should not be immediately clear to Agnes. It would take her some time (and more contact with Elin) to find out what it actually is that she’s feeling for her.
My fear with Peter’s script was that at the end it takes too many steps at one time and is too hasty to say that Agnes has „butterflies in her stomach“ again, after one afternoon. This is not only unrealistic to me, it also gives away too much. A huge part of the fun/suspense of the sequel would be for the spectator/reader to ask himself if Agnes would fall for Elin a second time, so this should not be revealed too easily. (But maybe Peter would agree with this and I’m doing him wrong here because I’m just mixing things up, as you said.)

The question for her is not simply "who's better — Elin or Hanna" — but rather "does it worth to give up Hanna and my current lifestyle?". (I mean, this is a question we're evaluating when we're trying to figure out what and why she'd choose, and whether she would start choosing at all.)


Yep. Think that’s completely in line with what I just tried to say.
Your summary from (1) to (4) expresses the whole matter perfectly.

FA was the first film I liked that I did not want a continuation for. That was one of the first thoughts after the film: no matter what would happen afterwards, the story is positive and kind by itself. That is, I did not have to imagine a "happy future" to enjoy the ending. In fact, I assumed the girls will fall apart after some time, and this seemed very natural. So it's curious that now I find myself imagining and discussing the continuation. However this is still different from other films: the girls are almost real, and the discussion is something about the "life, the universe and everything".


Well, this film can make you find yourself doing all kinds of strange things... (just look around you here! :wink: ). What you say is, I think, spot on the mark. I think this is simply the main ingredient of the magic of FÅ: that it feels so real. Lukas Moodysson once said that he considered it to be the greatest challenge for a film-maker to construct credible happy endings. He succeeded. That it all feels so credible is the most important element in the explanation of why FÅ goes directly to the heart, why one feels so much for these characters. If I may quote myself a little from this forum: The typical Hollywood romance ending is a lie, and everybody knows that. Fucking Åmål does not tell this lie. It does not end with false promises. No »happy ever after« ending is suggested. We cannot know what is going to happen to Agnes and Elin. But we can believe in them, if we wish. And this makes the ending all the more powerful, because that's how life (and the universe and everything) is, that’s how it really is. That’s why we care for them so much more than for all the other film couples. Seen that way, the overdebated question „How long is it gonna last?“ turns out to be quite unimportant. They love each other, and they are serious. But how long exactly they’re going to last - does it really matter...? I love the ending so much because, as Elin says, it doesn't. The most important thing has already been done. They have rocked their world, this will always be theirs.

There’s a quotation from Morgan Miller, a professional film critic (the type who’d normally rather die than admit that they have been touched by a film), and I think it hits the nail on the head: „Nobody can deny the honesty or the outright sincerity this film has. Having viewed the film three times on the big screen, I must confess that "Fucking Amal/Show Me Love" has a life all its own. Liljeberg and Dahlström give performances that are not only super realistic, but also genuine. Upon leaving the theater each time, I find it absolutely impossible to believe that Agnes and Elin are fictional characters that do not exist. It's a heartbreaking thought and I just refuse to believe it.“ (thanks to commonsvensson for pointing me to this review at http://www.moviemartyr.com)


Kolya wrote:Then again writing isn't like programming. This might sound terrible, and I fear (I really do.) I can never live up to what I'm saying now, but I think a story will have to have a continous flow/feel - whatever you might call it. And that's nothing you can achieve by careful planning. I have some ideas but I like to sit and watch the characters improvise on this. Jeez, this sounds so pretentious.


No, it doesn’t! It’s just true. It’s funny that the results of writing (texts), like the results of programming, can be usefully compared to pieces of architecture (they have a structure, rest on foundations, must be stable, they should have an entrance, and a good architect thinks about how the layout will help to guide visitors through it). But the activity of writing (unlike programming) is completely different from planning architecture. I think everybody who’s done it will confirm that the only way for a writer to make progress is „trial and error“ (or „improvisation on ideas“, as you say) – something quite out of the question for programmers and architects (at least, one should hope so)!
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Postby andreyvit » Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:35 am

All I wanted to say is this:
(1) It would be too easy (and indeed cliched) to say that this feeling is just „her old feeling for Elin“ that returns ...
(2) The nature of this new feeling should not be immediately clear to Agnes. ...


Yeah, I agree.

I think everybody who’s done it will confirm that the only way for a writer to make progress is „trial and error“ (or „improvisation on ideas“, as you say)


Well, yes, the are much more programming cliches, and people try hard to follow them rather than avoid them. :)
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